Forgotten Fate
by Vincent'sGirl06
Summary: Everyone believes that the only dragon eggs in existance lays in the Empires hands. History tells a different story.The Empire will do everything in its power to stop the rise of the Dragon Riders.
1. Discovery

**Destiny**

A strange man clutched desperately to his stead as it raced along the planes, his hair and clothes whipped madly as the wind clawed at him. The man's cloak billowed out behind him like wings, his slanted eyes scanned the air above them feverishly; against his breast he clutched a stone as long as his forearm. The sun above reflected the stone's surface, it was a dark red with black veins spider webbing across its surface. A sudden whistling sound filled the man's slightly pointed ears, his eyes widened and he roughly pulled back on the reins of the horse. The horse neighed shrilly as gravel was churned by its hooves as it struggled to stop, something very black and very large crashed in front of them…if the man had not stopped the horse then it would have landed straight on them. "I see that your senses haven't dulled…old man." A voice came from the black mass that the man could now see as a dragon, a man dressed in black clothes sat atop his dragon; his eyes glittered down at the man on the horse with absolute hate.

"And I see you that you come here for one purpose only." The man countered and gripped the stone tightly to his chest.

"I've actually come for two purposes, Master Vrael." The man sneered as he used the man's title, sarcasm drifted dangerously in the air. "I've come to kill you and take the egg." The man said as he swung one leg over the leather saddle that he sat in, he fell heavily to the ground and drew his sword that hung at his side; the blade glittered dangerously in the sun.

Vrael eyed the man and the sword with great sadness but then spoke in the ancient tongue, "Atra blöd hlaupa." Let blood flow. The man rushed forward with his sword raised high to slash, the horse beneath Vrael reared in fright. The blade silenced the horses shrill cry, Vrael leapt backwards from his dead mount and landed on his feet skillfully still gripping the dragon's egg to his chest; his eyes flickered from the egg in his arms to the man that stood before him who was readying another attack.

The man's eyes narrowed when Vrael started whispering something under his breath, he snarled in rage as the egg started glowing with an inner light. He lunged forward to stop the spell but it was too late…the egg was gone in a flash of light. "Die!" Galbatorix snarled as he slashed at the Dragon Rider leader, his blade was parried easily by Vrael's own.

They clashed again and again, over and over; one would give ground only to step forward and reclaim it. The sun over ahead boiled in the sky drenching the two fighters in heat and suffering, Galbatorix felt the tip of Vrael's blade glaze his left arm; the traitor then did the unthinkable. In their next clash Galbatorix's foot snapped forward and struck Vrael in his groin, the man crumpled in a scream of fury and pain. He lay on the ground in a pained heap, "You won't win, Galbatorix." He hissed through clenched teeth, he suddenly felt the cold of the blade against his neck then no more.

Galbatorix glared down in distaste at his leader's headless corpse, his eyes hardened in sudden rage and he plunged his sword in to the lifeless mound of flesh before him. He stood there for a moment then removed his bloodstained sword from it's so called sheath, he flicked his blade which sent blood splattering to the ground; he turned on his heel and walked over to his black dragon who sat there watching him. He crawled in to the saddle and kicked his dragon sharply in the shoulder, "Fly." He commanded, the dragon extended his wings and with several powerful flaps was airborne…

100 Years Later

"Elska…I need you to go to the market." A male voice rang out through the morning air.

"Coming, Papa." Elska replied as she ran a brush through her hair, it reached past her shoulders and was dark as a raven's wing. She wore a leggings and a tunic instead of the dresses that other women wore. She splashed water on her face to wake herself up and pulled her hair in to a low ponytail to cover her ears; she dried off with a soft linen towel and proceeded to go downstairs. The wooden steps creaked as her weight descended on them, alerting her father to her arrival; her dark blue eyes lit up when she smiled at her father.

Demo smiled as he looked at his daughter as she descended in to his line of vision, she was of no blood relation to him but he cherished her like the rarest gem. He had found her sixteen years ago in the middle of the forest when he was coming back from a trip to a distant town, she was crying in a basket which was hidden in the thick brush; he had searched for her parents and had found their remains among a destroyed wagon, Urgal tracks littered the ground around them.

He took the baby home to his wife who could not bare children. Flore named the child after her late grandmother and they raised her as their own; his wife later passed away in the winter of the next year due from a terrible illness. She was as tall as him which was very unusual for a woman; she was thin in stature but was very strong and quick.

"What do you need from the village?" She asked as she sat down at the handmade table and slipped on a pair of worn leather boots, she stood up as her father walked over to her and handed her a small leather pouch with a few coins inside along with a small piece of paper.

"There are two lists. One is for Garo." He said as he slid a coin in her the palm of her hand, "Get something nice for yourself as well…"

"Papa…you know that I won't." She said as she shook her head slightly, "Here…take it back." She said as she pushed the coin back at her father, he shook his head and refused.

"You are my daughter. You deserve nice things." He said as his eyes softened, Elska felt her resolve waver slightly.

"You know I hate it when you do that." She said as she opened the pouch and dropped the coin inside; she tied the purse to her leather belt. Her father laughed and handed his daughter her dark cloak, it was black with a silver clasp and stopped a good two inches before it hit the floor; it had been Flore's at one point and she had made it a point to give it to her daughter.

"I know…that's why I do it." He said as he handed Elska a sword, it was silver in color with an ivory colored hilt with silver engravings; it had been found in the wagon's wreckage. Elska knew of how Demo had found her and raised her, she had been told on her sixteenth birthday when she came in to womanhood; it did not changed her feelings toward the man that she knew as her father. The sword had also been given to her on her sixteenth birthday; she only wore it when she was going to town which was an hour journey on horse back. "Be careful."

"I always am." Elska said as she lashed the sword to her side and allowed her cloak to fall in to place; she kissed her father on the cheek and went outside. The crisp air of early winter snapped at her face was she opened the door; she quickly closed it to prevent the warmth of the house from escaping. She walked over the tiny stable that was on the west side of her home, her horse- Dakar- neighed happily as she walked toward him. He was a proud horse of three years, he was a grey in color with white underline; his mane was a pepper color. He easily looked down at his owner as she approached; he was a good 14 hands high. "Good morning, Dakar." She said as he lowered his head to get scratched, her neighed faintly as he playfully bumped his head against his chest. She ran her hands against his broad forehead and rubbed the white spot in the middle, "Come on…" She said as she walked to the far side of the stable and grabbed Dakar's saddle from its place on a hay bale.

Dakar stood there silently as Elska threw a blanket on his back before placing the heavy saddle on, she crouched down and buckled the strap that went across his belly; she made sure that it was tight enough so that it would not slide but not too tight to restrict the horses breathing. She walked over to the side of the stall where Dakar's reins hung from their hook, she saw the horse eyeing the reins with distaste, and she swore that he almost said that the bit was going to be cold.

"You're such a baby." She said as she took the metal bit in to her hands and stood there for a moment for the metal to warm up in her grasp. The horse snorted in response which caused its owner to smile faintly, "Okay…it should be alright by now." She said as she walked over, she slid the bit in between the horse's teeth and buckled the thin straps of the side of the reins; she treated Dakar to some oats before climbing in to the saddle. The chilly wind blasted the two as they exited the warm stable, Elska flipped up her hood up to block the wind and they were on their way.

Elska and her father lived on the far outskirts of their town of Dewan which sat in the bend of the spine between Therinsford and Fläm; their house was set a day out of the town and rested against the base of the Spine. People were nervous of the mountain range saying that vicious things lived in there and would swoop down at any time and carry you out of your house in the dead of night. Both Demo and Elska thought that it was a bunch of foolishness, they had never had anything unexpected come from the mountains that loomed over their heads.

The heart of winter was only weeks away which meant hard times for the tiny town, it didn't get as cold as in the high parts of the mountains but they still received snow in plus amounts. Almost as if summoned by fate, a single snow flake landed on Elska's nose- she groaned slightly and brushed the melted bead of snow off the tip of her nose. "Come Dakar…Let us hurry." She said as she gently prodded the horse with her heels. Dakar tossed his head back like he was almost laughing before he took off town the road, Elska clung tight to his back.

Tuh tuh tum…tuh tuh tum…

That hypnotic sound and feel of Dakar running beneath her put her mind in to a lull, the horse knew every twist and turn of the road. Loose dirt churned up beneath the horse's hooves as it ran, the ride only lasted for a short while but it was long enough. Elska noticed that the town was fast approaching and so she pulled on the reins, Dakar slowed his pace to a fast walk as they entered the heart of the town.

Elska slowed Dakar to a stop in front of the tavern; it went by the name of Green Spire. She tethered her hoofed friend to the post out front before going inside, the rich smells of burning wood and roasting meat wrapped around her as she entered. "Hey. It's Elska!" Rogan, the tavern owner, greeted as she lowered her hood. He was echoed by several more people when they turned to see who had entered.

"Evening everyone." She smiled as she walked across the tavern over to the hearth where a fire burned merrily; she rubbed her hands and placed them in the warmth of the fire. She was there barely for a moment before Garo, the iron smith, walked over to her and placed a callused hand on her shoulder. "Hello Garo." She said as she turned her head to look at the tall muscular man whose hair had just started to gray. He had known Demo and his wife ever since they had moved in to the town two decades ago; he had been a good family friend since.

"Well hello…Haven't seen you in a while." He said as he lead her over to his table and sat down, beside him sat his oldest son named Godfrie; the boy took after his father a great deal including his love for metal working. Godfrie greeted Elska before returning to his plate in front of him, "So…Your father is sending you on errands?" He asked as Elska took a seat in front of him.

"Yeah…" Elska said as she pulled the purse from her belt, she slid the lists out from the confines of the purse and handed one to Garo. "It's mostly parts for the wagon since it broke earlier this week…" She said as Garo studied the list carefully, "So…when could we expect the parts?" She asked after a moment of silence.

Garo sighed and leaned back in his seat; Godfrie leaned over and took the list to look over it. "Well…most of the parts would take less then a day or two to make but you've got some serious list. I don't think we'll be able to finish it until mid next week." He said as he rubbed his stubble covered chin, his son nodded in agreement; Godfrie wasn't a very big talker.

"I figured as much." Elska said as she put away the purse, in truth she thought that it would take much longer. "Alright…I'll tell Father to expect the parts by mid of next week." Elska said as she stood, "I have some supplies to get so I will see you later." She said before departing the tavern. It took her several hours to gather all of the supplies on the list that her father had made for her, she was strapping the last little bit to Dakar's saddle when something stirred in her peripheral vision.

Elska turned her head to see what it was; she frowned slightly and turned back to her work. "Well…well…well. If it isn't the orphaned outcast." A harsh female voice cut through the crisp hair, Elska's frown deepened and she pulled a bundle's drawstring tight before sliding the belt through the buckle.

"Leave me alone, Whyla." Elska said out loud before crouching down next to Dakar's saddle strap and made sure it was tight.

"Why should I?" Whyla sneered as she put her hands on her hips; her blonde hair flowed down past her waist. Her blue eyes were hard as she bore holes in to Elska's back, "You have no right to tell me what to do." She said as her two friends trotted beside her.

"Just as you have no right to call me an outcast." Elska countered as she walked around to Dakar's other side to check ever thing there.

"I can do what ever I want, bitch." Whyla said, Elska saw her bend down to pick something up from the ground. She didn't know what it was until pain spider webbed from one side of her skull, she clutched the side of her head with one hand as pain blinded her and stumbled over to the tether post as she felt her legs give out. She heard Whyla and her friends start laughing, more stones connected with her body shoving her deeper in to a pain filled fog.

"What's going on out here?!" A voice bellowed, Elska heard Whyla and her friends scatter. The sound of heavy footfalls grew louder as Garo walked over to Elska who sat slumped against the tether post, "Oh darling…" He moaned as he saw the blood that was ran down the side of her face from a cut above her left eye, she looked up at him only to look away in what seemed like shame. He picked her up gently, she was lighter then she looked. "Godfrie…get Dakar and bring him to the house." Garo ordered as his oldest rushed out to see what the commotion was.

"Right, Dad." Godfrie said as he walked over to Elska's mount, Garo carried Elska to his house where she could get treated.

Elska sat in the chair motionless as Garo's wife, Morla, cleaned the cut on her forehead. "Will you be alright?" Morla asked as she rung out the rag in a pan of water, there was a slight pink tinge to it.

"Yes." Elska replied before Morla pressed the rag against the cut once more, the woman looked skeptical as she looked at the girl. She had a far away look in her eyes and appeared to be deep in thought. 'I don't understand it…why won't they leave me alone?' She thought, the door opened and in stepped Garo and Godfrie; both of the men looked angry.

"What's a matter, dear?" Morla asked as she took away the rag as she looked at her husband and son. Garo sat down heavily at the kitchen table and took off his boots, there was a moment before Garo was calm enough to speak.

"Whyla and her friends have been going around the town saying that Elska had attacked them." Garo said before growing angry again, Elska looked over at Garo who sat there staring angrily at the fire; the wrinkles around his mouth looking deeper than usual.

"I think that it's best that I leave." Elska said as she stood up, Morla and Garo looked shocked.

"But honey…are you sure that you'll be alright? That was quite a blow to the head." Morla said as she stood and took a step closer to the girl in a protective type gesture.

"I'll be alright." Elska said as she smiled. "I've been thrown by Dakar before so this is no more than a bump. And besides…it has been threatening to snow all day. I think it would be best if I hurry home."

Garo looked thoughtful for a moment but then nodded, "She'll be fine." He said with a nod but he turned his head to look at the young woman. "But you better be careful on your way home." He said in such away that it left no room for argument.

"I will!" Elska said as she crossed her arms playfully, "You're just as bad as Papa." Garo burst out laughing, Elska smiled and left the house but not without giving everyone her goodbyes. Dakar was tethered outside by the side of the house; there was a slight overhang that provided shelter from the cold wind that blew through the town. "Hey buddy." She said as Dakar nickered when he noticed her; she stroked his long neck softly for a moment before undoing the knot on the tether and climbing in to the saddle. She clicked her tongue softly and nudged him gently as a sign to head home, the horse needed no encouragement.

Sadly, once they were away from the town the wind began to blow hard around them. It forced Elska get off of the saddle for fear of being blown off; she took Dakar's reins and walked beside him. They were about halfway home when Elska heard something on the wind, it sounded like a woman's voice; she was calling for help. Elska looked from the road to the woods and back again, the voice came once more on the wind only this time it seemed fainter.

"Hold on! I'm coming." Elska shouted over the wind as she led Dakar off the trail and in to the woods, the wind came through the trees and seemed to howl like a wolf. Dakar's ears flipped backwards against his head and he suddenly stopped walking, Elska turned to the horse that stood there stubbornly; his eyes were wide and his flanks trembled. "Dakar? Dakar…what's wrong?" She asked as she tried to soothe the horse, yet nothing seemed to get past the animal. He suddenly neighed shrilly and reared up, Elska shrank back in fear as he pawed at the air with his hooves; he suddenly spun around and fled the way that they had come. "Dakar!" Elska screamed as she lost sight of her horse through the trees.

The voice came again on the air, Elska shivered as she stared down the path that her horse had fled; she stood there for a moment before deciding to follow the voice. The going was slow, tree roots and branches often blocked her path which caused her to take several detours; she finally came upon a small field from where the voice seemed to originate from. Elska slowly looked around seeing no one yet something caught her eye, on the other side of the field were two stones sitting on one end; they were about three feet apart from each other and Elska immediately knew what they were…they were grave markers.

There was a sudden flutter of motion behind Elska that made her turn around, her eyes widened when she saw a woman standing behind her. The woman was the older mirror image of her; the woman smiled gently and placed two fingers to her lips in a soft gesture. "Wh-who are you?" Elska whispered, the woman didn't reply but walked over to a large tree on the side of the clearing. The tree was massive with knobby roots at the base, the woman walked over to the tree and stood beside it as if waiting for Elska to follow; the young girl inched forward cautiously. Once she got close, the woman smiled again and knelt down beside two massive roots; as Elska bent down next to the woman, she noticed that the space between the two roots were covered in years of leaves. "What do you want me to do?" She turned to ask the woman…only to find the area completely void of life; as if no one had ever been there…

Elska stood up quickly and looked around, her heart racing slightly in her chest. The wind still howled around her like an animal, she hugged the cloak around her and looked down at the space between the two roots. She stood there for a moment while she debated whether or not the woman was the aftermath of being stuck on the head; what would it hurt if she went digging in to a bunch of leaves? Nothing…right? She bent down and began to brush through the first inch of leaves.

The wet leaves quickly muddied her hands as she brushed them aside in an attempt to look past them, she thought that she must be crazy…looking through a bunch of leaves for something a phantom woman had lead her to. The leaves grew more and more decomposed as she went deeper until it became something along the lines of dirt. "This is so stupid." She said as pushed away the last of the decomposing leaves from the ground to reveal…nothing. 'A complete waste of time and energy.' Elska though sourly as she went to stand up, she paused however when she thought she saw a tattered piece of fabric in the very corner of the two roots.

Entranced she crept forward slowly and took the piece of fabric between her fingers, it was old and... The girl pulled at the fabric gently; indeed…it did disappear in to the ground. What ever it was…was buried under the earth. The damp soil gave under Elska's nails as she tore at it, chunks of it fell away and were tossed aside. Elska finally uncovered what ever was buried in the earth, it was a bundle the size of her forearm; it was wrapped in a dark colored blanket which was stained by the ground it had spent several years entombed in. She suddenly heard far off shouting; she realized with a start that it was her father. She hid the bundle within her cloak and ran in the direction of the road. "Elska!" Her father shouted for her.

"I'm here, Papa." Elska said as she emerged from the bushes, her father sat at top Dakar who was minus the heavy tack that he had been carrying from before.

"Where were you?!" Demo demanded, "You could have been dead on the side of the path and I would have never known." He said angrily, Elska noticed that he looked older and more worn.

"I'm sorry, Papa." Elska said softly, "I thought I heard something and went to investigate. I took Dakar but he got spooked by something…"

"I thought that you were smarter than to stray from the path, Elska. Obviously I was wrong." Her father frowned; she flinched ever so slightly at her father's voice which was covered in disappointment. "Just get on the horse." He ordered as he turned Dakar around, Elska mounted herself behind her father without a sound; she clutched the bundle to her chest as they rode. As soon as they reached the house, a fine powder had begun to fall; Demo immediately went in to the house and left Elska to tend to Dakar in the stable.

Elska heaved the heavy saddle from its place on Dakar's back, the horse shook its flanks in response to the weight being lifted off; she set the saddle in its rightful place. She removed the reins and put them on their hook; she turned her head and looked at the bale of hay beside her where the bundle lay. She then turned to look outside where the light had begun to fade, snow started coming down harder and it was time to go inside. She made sure that Dakar was alright before grabbing the bundle and going in to the house.

Her father didn't look up from the fire as she entered the house and shut the door before placing the board in its slots to insure that it would stay closed, Elska stared at her father's back for a moment before going up to her room. It was small just like the rest of the house, it only measured ten feet in both directions; it was just big enough to hold a bed, a bookshelf, a small desk, a chest which held her clothes, and low table which sat in the middle of the room.

She slowly walked over to the table and set the bundle down before sitting on a cushion on the floor, she stared at it for a moment before bringing it closer to her. The fabric was stiff from its time in the ground, it finally gave in her hands and fell away; the first thing that caught her eye was the gleam. The faint light in the room seemed to be dim in comparison of the red stone that she held in her hands, she marveled over how beautiful the color was-blood red with black veins racing across its surface. It was completely smooth like glass; Elska took the stone out of its broken prison and placed it on the table. She went to throw away the old fabric but something fell from its confines and struck the wooden floor with a slight rustle, Elska noticed and bent down to pick the something up.

Silver glitter caught her eye as it caught the dying light from outside of her window; a silver chain dangled from her fingers, a simple but intricate silver pendent hung from the chain. It looked spotless even though it had been in the dirt for who knows how long, "How strange…" Elska mumbled as she twirled the pendent in the air, she saw the clasp on the chain and undid it; the chain slid easily along her skin as she placed it around her neck and put the clasp back in its place, it rested gently against her breast bone. The sound of her father's footsteps could be heard as he came up the stairs, Elska panicked and hid the necklace under her shirt; she grabbed the stone and shoved it under the low table just as the door swung open.

"Elska? Is its time for dinner." Demo said before he closed the door again, Elska sighed and pulled out the stone from its place beneath the table; she placed it on top of it and looked at it for a moment.

"What am I going to do with this?" Elska whispered as she ran a hand along the smooth glass like surface, she remembered that supper was waiting and picked up the stone; she didn't want to leave it out in the open for fear that her father would find it so she decided to place it in her clothes chest. She placed it in between two shirts and hid it the best that she could, she then put away her cloak and went down stairs.


	2. New Beginnings

**Hello, Everyone! I haven't had a lot of time to my self, especially since it is nearing holiday season. I'm trying my hardest. All the characters that you do not recognize are of my creation. I do not own 'Eragon' although I do have a copy of the book. Enjoy and please don't forget to review. Thanks!**

The dinner was a very stressful one; it was eaten in mostly silence which was periodically broken by Demo asking a question or two; usually about what Garo said. Elska was sure that her father had seen the cut above her eye even though he didn't say anything. She picked at the piece of chicken that sat on her plate; she would occasionally pick up a tiny piece and eat it but nothing more than that. "Eat or it will spoil." Demo said as he swallowed and took a drink of mead.

"I'm afraid I'm not hungry." Elska said as she placed the fork on the plate and pushed it away slightly; her father set down his glass and looked at her. "I must be tired. Excuse me." She said as took up her plate and took it over to the kitchen; she set it beside the stove and went over the stairs. She felt her father watching her as she went up the stairs and disappeared in to her room; she closed the door and leaned up against it.

She rested the back of her head against the wooden door and closed her eyes, she felt something warm slide down her cheek; she let out a tiny sob. Sitting there not talking to the man she looked to as father had hurt her badly, she opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She could hear her father walking around downstairs, he would occasionally walk from one side of the other; his footsteps even seemed angry. She sighed faintly and felt another tear slide down her cheek, the light had finally died outside which let the moon shine forth through the clouds. She changed out of her dirty clothes and in to a baggy sleeping shirt with a worn pair of leggings that had long been used past its prime.

She took a moment to look at the stone in her chest; she rested it on the top of her clothes and let the moonlight slide off its surface. Maybe she should give it to Father…maybe then he could sell it for some money. That would make him forget that he was mad at her, right? Questions drifted through her mind as she sat there and looked at the stone in the faint light, she finally shook the thoughts from her mind and closed the lid to the chest; she would decide what to do in the morning.

She slid in to the sheets of her bed-they were cold at first but quickly warmed. She sighed and shoved herself deeper in to the confines of her bed; she was so tired but her mind churned with the day's activities. Finally she was able to go to sleep an hour or two later after the entire house had fallen silent and her father had gone to bed. The rest didn't last long.

She was awoken in the middle of the night by a sound or feeling, she couldn't tell which. With her mind thick with the fog of sleep, Elska leaned over to her beside table and lit a candle. Its faint light did little to push back the darkness that blanketed her room but it was enough, she slid out of the warm confines of her sheets; she was almost immediately woke up as her feet touched the bitter cold floor. She wrapped an arm around her chest and hugged herself for warmth; she listened intently as she tried to figure out what had woken her. Nothing seemed out of place from what she could see, nothing was moved; it was all the way that she had left it when she had gone to sleep. She was about to blow out the candle when a faint scratching sound seemingly echoed from her chest.

An involuntary shiver raced up and down her spine at the disgusting thought that a mouse had made its way in to her chest where her clothes lay, she knelt beside the chest and undid the latch; it opened with a creak and the light from her candle cast itself down in to the confines. The stone…it was shattered! Elska couldn't believe it…the beautiful stone was in pieces all over her clothes; she picked up a piece and turned it over in her fingers. No, something wasn't right; it was too thin to be a piece of the stone. A small squeak made its way to her ears; she peered deeper in to the chest, in the far right corner lay a small mound.

"Oh my god." Elska whispered as the mound shifted and uncoiled, a pair of gold eyes locked on to hers. She moved back as the thing stumbled out of her chest and on to the floor, the candle cast out its light as it sat abandoned on the floor; the thing moved closer to the light and stared at the tiny flame. Elska felt her eyes widen as she realized what the thing was…it was a dragon hatchling!

The tiny dragon was as long as her forearm with a pair of wings that was pressed against its back; it was maroon in color and two tiny little black bumps toward the back of its head which Elska guessed would be horns when it grew bigger, it's claws and teeth where a pale white and looked extremely sharp. The tiny dragon tilted its head as it stared at the flame, the light glittered off of its gold eyes; Elska sat there motionless as if afraid that any movement would make the entire scene drift away like smoke on the wind. The dragon seemed to notice her staring and squealed slightly casing her to snap out of her thoughts, it wobbled over to her on unsteady legs; the girl stiffened as it came closer, the dragon stopped and tilted its head inquisitively.

Elska swallowed hard as she tried to calm herself, she tentatively reached out her left hand toward the dragon to convince herself that was a dream, which meant that she was still asleep; the dragon sat there as she inched closer and placed her hand in front of the animal. The dragon reached out with its long neck and butted its head against the palm of her hand. Elska seized her hand back as pain shot through her entire being, it was a moment before she regained her consciousness; she found herself sprawled out on the floor with her hand pressed tightly against her chest, she licked her lips and tasted blood where her teeth had cut the fragile skin. "Why did you do that?" Elska whispered, her hand pounded in a dull ache. She pulled it away and looked at her palm. She froze when she saw the silver sheen reflected in the faint light of the candle.

She felt totally and utterly lost as she looked at the dragon, she stiffened when she felt something brush against her…no…not against her but her mind. It felt like a feather against her skin, she pulled away from the contact only for it to follow her; she stopped and reached out to it slowly as she tried to figure out what it was. The two consciousnesses touched uncertainly for the first time and Elska gasped faintly when they did, the consciousness that she was touching was massive and felt like it could go on forever. It suddenly clicked that it was coming from the dragon hatchling, feelings of concern radiated from the connection that the two had; Elska was taken back slightly, she had never dreamed that the stone would be an egg…a dragon's egg no less!

She almost laughed when the connection changed abruptly to hunger, "I guess you would be." She whispered as the dragon waddled over to where she sat cross legged on the cold floor, she reached out and touched the dragon's flank gently and was pleased to feel no pain like before. The feeling of hunger came again but it was stronger this time, Elska frowned and picked up the dragon beneath its armpits and looked at it to which it returned its own gaze. She set it down gently, "Stay here." It tilted its head and squeaked gently and padded over to her when she stood up. She paused before reaching out with her consciousness groping for the dragon's mind, '_No_.' she commanded; the dragon stopped in mid-step and looked at her. The dragon's consciousness brushed against her own and she felt the sensation of curiosity, Elska made sure that the dragon knew not to follow her before she went downstairs.

The entire first level of the house was dark and quiet; the only light came through the windows from the moon outside and from the candle in Elska's hands. She made her way to the kitchen where the chicken was still on her plate from dinner; she grabbed her plate but paused to grab some more chicken before heading back up stairs. She found the dragon sitting on the foot of her bed, it had curled itself in to a ball; it's head perked up when she came in and shut the door behind her.

"Here's some food." She said as she sat cross legged in the floor and set the plate in front of her, the dragon uncoiled itself and climbed down from her bed; grabbing the fabric of her sheets with its tiny claws. The dragon waddled over to where Elska was pealing the meat away from the bones, she held out a tiny piece of meat carefully in her fingers; the dragon eyed the meat but snapped it up, silver teeth glittering in the candle's light. Elska fed the dragon one piece of chicken at a time until it was obviously full and wanted no more, she then ate what extra chicken she had brought with her; her appetite had returned.

The dragon touched minds with her and she was flooded with the sense of satisfaction, the tiny creature did not resist as Elska picked it up and carried it over to her bed. The dragon curled against her abdomen under the sheets which lulled Elska quickly to sleep.

Morning came far too early to Elska's liking; she rolled over to escape the sun's rays that came in through the window of her room. The memories of the dragon came flooding in to her mind; she shot up in bed and searched with her hands for the hatchling between the sheets only to come up empty. The sounds of her father's foot steps up the stairs caused her to stop her frantic looking and made her try and look like she was just getting up from bed.

The door to her room opened and revealed her father in her doorway, "Elska?" He asked, "Can I come in?"

Elska paused slightly, uncertain of what her father wanted. Had he heard her last night? What if he found the dragon hatchling? "Sure." She replied, her father nodded and stepped in to her room. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs; her mattress sank slightly as her father sat down on the edge of her bed. He stared at the floor for a second like he was trying to figure something out.

"Elska…I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday." Demo said as he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, Elska shifted uncertainly beside him.

"You don't have to apologize." Elska whispered resting her chin on her knee.

"Yes I do." Demo argued, "I over reacted and I know that I hurt your feelings. You're not the best liar in the world." Elska flinched involuntarily, "I was just afraid that something had happened to you. I was frantic when Dakar arrived at the house with an empty saddle."

"Nothing happened. Dakar just got spooked." She replied, "I was fine…really." Demo looked at his adopted daughter as she sat there looking at him; he thought that she was hiding something from him. Something just wasn't sitting right with him.

"I just wanted to come and apologize." Demo said as he ruffled his daughter's hair playfully, she smiled as she batted away his hands.

"I know. Thank you, Papa." Elska said as Demo stood up, "I'll be down for breakfast in a few minutes." Her father nodded as he smiled slightly, the door's lock clicked slightly as the door closed. Elska let out a deep breath that she didn't know that she had been holding, there was a faint scratching sound beneath her bed. She lay on her belly as she leaned over the edge of her bed and looked under it; in the corner of the room where her bed was nestled, laid the dragon. His gold eyes glistened in the faint light that made its way in to the dark corner; he was curled up in a tight wad with only his head sticking out. Elska drew back as something brushed against her consciousness, not being used to it yet- she immediately remembered the dragon and reached out toward it.

She felt uncertainty and….fear through the link, she frowned slightly when she realized that the dragon was scared of her father. She tried her best to send soothing emotions through the link; the dragon blinked and lifted its head slightly. It squeaked slightly and stood on its four legs, it walked over to her with ease-it had grown a lot stronger over the course of the night. Elska picked up the creature and looked at it with curiosity which the dragon returned. The morning light revealed much more detail then the light of the candle; it showed tiny little black spines all along its back, the dragon's wings were pressed firmly against its back and she guessed that when they were unfurled that they would reach at least the dragon's length per wing. She stroked the dragon underneath its chin; the tiny creature closed its eyes and started vibrated as it hummed faintly. "Elska…hurry or your eggs will get cold." Demo called from down stairs.

"Coming." Elska called down, she set the dragon down on the mattress of her bed and quickly put on a pair of clean leggings and tunic. The dragon hatchling curled beneath her pillow, it had obviously had already realized that downstairs was off limits and that he was not to be seen.

Elska's bare feet slapped the hard wooden stairs as she descended; Demo was already at the table with a plate in front of him. The great aroma of eggs and bacon hung in the air, "What took you so long?" Demo asked as he shoveled a clump of eggs in to his mouth, Elska sat down at her place and picked up her fork.

"No reason really." She said as she started eating her bacon, Demo looked at her slightly but nodded. The breakfast was eaten in silence but it was nothing how it was last night.

"That was good, Papa." Elska said as she picked up her empty plate and gathered Demo's.

"I'm glad you liked it." Her father responded as he wiped his mouth with his napkin, he seemed to pause for a moment. "You never told me what caused that cut above your eye." He saw Elska's step falter slightly as she walked in to the kitchen, "What happened?" He asked as he frowned slightly.

"Whyla and her friends…decided that yesterday was a bad day and to take it out on me." Elska said finally, she reached up and felt of the cut; it ached slightly when her fingers brushed against it and she was sure that it would start to bruise in a little while. Demo grumbled slightly and pulled out his pipe, he pushed a piece of weed in to its place and lit it with a piece of burning wood from the fire. He took in a deep puff and exhaled, a slight plume of smoke outlined his breath.

"They're just a bunch of bad apples that should have gotten tossed in to the trash bin." He commented after a moment of silence, "They didn't hurt you too much, did they?" He asked.

Elska shook her head, "No…" She responded, "Please…don't make a big scene out of it. They'll just see that they are getting to me and they'll continue to do what they want."

"I still don't see the point of you rolling over and playing dead." Demo humphed.

"If I play dead long enough then they'll lose interest." Elska countered, there was a moment of long silence and she walked over to her father who was taking his frustrations out on the pipe. "I love you, Papa." She said kissing the top of his head, "I'm going out to see how Dakar fared during the night."

Demo nodded as he stared in to the fire, "Alright…there's snow on the ground though. You might want to change in to something heavier." He said as Elska disappeared upstairs.

Elska sighed as she closed the door, she reached out with her mind and touched her dragon's to tell it that the coast was clear so it could come out. The dragon squeaked happily as Elska walked over to the bed as it slid out from its hiding place, she quickly changed in to a heavier set of clothes and donned her cloak. She scooped up the dragon in to her arms; she knew that the dragon couldn't stay in her room long before her father would find out. The dragonling shifted in her arms and squeaked in protest; she closed her eyes and tried her best to tell the dragon what she was going to do. She pictured tall trees and open skies outside, almost immediately the dragon quieted.

It curled up in her arms and remained still as she adjusted the cloak so that it would fall down over her shoulders and cover her arms; she went down the stairs making a slight detour through the kitchen to grab a couple strips of dried meat. "I'll be back in a while, Papa." She said as she slipped outside, she faintly heard her father say that he had heard her before she closed the door behind her.

The cold air struck her face like a slap from a hand, she breathed in sharply and flicked her hood over her head, the dragon peaked out its head from the confines of the cloak; its tongue flickered out and tasted the cold air. The dragon touched minds with Elska and she was flooded with excitement, Elska gently set down the dragonling on to the ground; the snow came up to its back. The creature squeaked and sort of bunny hopped through the snow playfully, it stopped and looked back at Elska who stood there and watched the dragon amusingly.

"You are a piece of wonder." Elska chuckled behind her hand, the dragonling turned back to its frolicking. Its maroon hide stood out sharply against the pure white snow, at one point the dragonling completely disappeared from view. The only clue to where it was rested in the hole where it was last seen, Elska couldn't contain her laughter as the dragon's head popped out of the white powder with a clump sitting on top of its head. With a shake of its head it flung the clump of snow away and made its way to shallower snow.


	3. Flee in to the Light

**Hi Everyone! I finally got this chapter done after much prodding and thinking. It was really hard because I was stuck on such a major writter's bock...well...it's over now so I'm already to go. Please enjoy.**

"A dragon! A dragon! I swear I saw it flying over the Spine. I'm not joking." A man ranted before pounding his mug down on the wooden countertop, "You're all fools if you don't believe me." He grumbled.

"I think you have had enough drink for the night." Rogan said as he gently pulled the mug away from the man. "Go home, Morgan." He said as the man grabbed for the mug, "We don't need talk of dragons in this day and age…"

"You are all fools. Don't you understand what's going on here?! Galbatorix's rule is failing! We are on the edge of revolution!" Morgan shouted as he stood, he was immediately flanked by two strong men and led out of the tavern.

"Great piece of rubbish." Garo snorted, "A grown man raving about dragons and revolution. Pitiful." He said before taking a drink of mead. "I will not envy him in the morning….nor his wife." He said as he set his mug down on the table, he glanced over at where Elska sat beside him. "Hey…you've grown mighty quiet." He whispered. Elska's head snapped up, eyes slightly widened.

"Oh! Sorry. I was just thinking…" She said as her body relaxed, "I just remembered that Father said that he wanted me back early to help him clean out the barn. It seems that a family of rats has moved in and is eating all of Dakar's grain." She said as she stood, "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer." She said as she gave Garo a bit hug around his neck. The hearty man laughed and patted her on the shoulder.

"Quite alright…" He said as Elska grabbed her cloak and flipped it over on to her shoulders. "Tell Demo that I wish to speak with him soon. I have some very pressing matters which need to be discussed." Elska nodded.

"I'll be sure to tell him." She said as she strapped her sword to her side, "I will see you later." She said as she patted Garo on the shoulder before leaving the tavern. The blistery winter wind pounded her as soon as she stepped out in to the open, she went over to where Dakar was tethered. She grabbed on to the saddle horn and pulled herself up on to the back of her horse, she leaned over the neck of Dakar and undid the knot. With a flick of the reins the two were off, she caught a flurry of blonde hair between two houses but didn't give it a second thought.

The pounding of Dakar's hooves echoed in her ears as he took off when they reached the outskirts of town, Elska pulled on the reins when Dakar was about three fourths of the way home. She turned Dakar around so that they faced down the trail in the direction of town; she stared down hard at the trail for several long seconds before her expression softened. She suddenly spurred Dakar in to motion; she guided him on to a trail that you could only see if you really looked or knew that was there.

The woods were quiet as Dakar trotted along the trail, Elska kept one hand on the hilt of her sword. She did not fear the Spine but it was good to err on the side of caution. The trail led up in to the first ridge of the Spine and across to the second, in the curve of the second ridge there was a large. Dakar stepped out from along the tree line, Elska slid off and patted the horse's neck before moving away from him; the horse snorted and went over to a patch of grass that didn't look too dead.

**You are angry.** A deep voice rumbled in her head, Elska frowned and looked up in the sky.

/Why shouldn't I be? You were sighted. Aesir…if the man wasn't drunk then people could have believed him/. Elska snapped over their connection, her expression softened. /I'm sorry. I am mad because I don't want to lose you./ She said softly.

The air was filled with the beating of wings, a red blur shot over the tree tops. Elska was blasted with wind as the blur raced once around her and landed on the other side of the field. The once small dragonling that had hatched more than two months ago now stood a good six feet at the shoulder. His long neck swayed faintly as he walked over to where Elska stood. **It's alright, little one.** He chuckled, his bass voice sounding in her head. **But you have the right to be.**

The horns on his head were now ebony black and were a good foot and a half long. His teeth and claws had grown to the length of steak knives and looked twice as sharp. His length now reached a good fifteen feet long, his wingspan was twice that. "Yeah…" She sighed as she scratched beneath the dragon's chin, he closed his eyes and a slight rumbled echoed from his chest. It would probably sound like a purr if he wasn't so large. "I hate that we have to hide. I absolutely hate it." She whispered as she leaned against his thick chest and buried her face in to his scales.

Aesir peered down at his rider, his head snaked around and he nudged her in the shoulder softly. **Come.** He whispered, she looked up with a confused look on her face, **Let us not dwell on things that have already happened. They are in the past and can not be altered.** Elska blinked then nodded a small smile on her lips.

"You're right, Aesir." She said as he lifted one leg and she used it as a step to climb up to the juncture of his neck where there was a space between two spikes for her to sit rather comfortably. /I wish Father could see you.../ she whispered through their link, Aesir chuckled and speed his wings.

**He will when the time is right.** Aesir said as he twisted his head to look as his rider, she ran her hands along his crimson scales.

* * *

Elska was helping Demo several days later chopping wood when a group of men came riding up to their house. Demo frowned as he wiped the sweat off of his brow, he eyed the men with uneasiness for there were bows thrown over their backs and swords on their hips. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" Demo asked as he buried the head of the ax in to the wood of the block, Elska stood and brushed the dirt off of her pants legs where she knelt.

"We heard that there were rumors of a dragon in the spine. We've come to hunt it and we were wondering if you had any information about it since you lived so close to it." The leader said as he looked over at Demo.

The girl's eyes narrowed slightly, she couldn't help it! There were here to kill Aesir…she spun on her heel and stalked over to the house. The leader smirked slightly, "I'm sorry. We haven't heard anything except a drunken man's yammerings. It would save you a lot of time and grief if you just gave up. The Spine is a dangerous place. Not even I go in to it to hunt." Demo said as he looked from one man to the other, he didn't like the look of them nor did he like the look that several were casting at Elska as she walked in to the house in distaste.

"We appreciate your help." The leader said as he nodded, "You wouldn't mind if we crossed your property to reach the Spine, would you?" He asked. His horse's ears suddenly to flip back against his head and he started to shift uneasily, the horse suddenly let out a whinny of fright and lunged forward unexpectedly which deposited the man on his back in the mud.

Elska closed the curtain and went to her chores inside, her hands shook slightly as she laid out the plates for dinner which was cooking on the stove. She would sneak out tonight and meet up with Aesir in the darkness of night and leave. She paused…what about her father? Would he go with her once he realized that she had been hiding things from him? She couldn't ask him to leave everything that he had worked so hard for so many years. She sighed and sagged heavily in the chair, Demo came in a few minutes later with mud on his hands.

"Man's stupid horse freaked over nothing." Demo said as he washed his hands, "Strangest thing…it calmed down once the man fell." He dried his hands on a soft towel.

"Strange." Elska said looking half interested, she of course knew what made the horse get spooked-it was her. She had found out no too long after Aesir hatched, that she could communicate to animals but the only thing was that they could only communicated through feelings and thoughts not words.

"Dinner ready?" Demo asked as he bent down by the stove, he looked at it for a moment. "No… Just a couple more minutes. It might be best if you go clean up, Elska." He smiled. Elska looked down at her muddied clothes and chuckled.

"You're right." She said as she stood up and went up to her room. She closed the door and quickly ran to her chest, she changed quickly. She pulled out several pairs of clothes and shoved them in to a pack; she felt her necklace swing beneath her shirt as she rushed about but kept her footfalls quiet as she possibly could. She shoved a pair of thick boots in to her pack as well as a short knife and several things that she might need like flint or money. She finished packing and shoved her bag under her bed. She threw her sword and cloak over behind the door. She looked around to see if she would need anything else before finally going over to the water basin to get washed up.

As she dabbed the water off of her face she looked up in to the mirror, it took a moment to realize that she was looking at her own reflection. She placed the towel on the edge of the rim and peered closer, she ran her fingers along the bottom of one eye. Do they look slightly more almond shaped then before? She frowned and ran her fingers along the slope of her nose and down along her jaw line, she turned her head slightly and brushed her hair behind one ear. Her eyes closed slightly as she ran one hand along the curve of her ear, she stopped and snatched her attention quickly to the mirror. Was it her imagination or was her ear tapered slightly up at the very top?! Flustered she shook her head causing her hair to fall in to place to cover her ears, she slapped her mentally for being a fool and went down stairs-determined to set everything behind her.

**Elska! Little one, what is wrong? I sense panic.** Aesir rumbled across their mental link as she descended down the stairs, she stopped.

I do not know…I feel like I have changed some how since meeting you./ She said as she ran her hand along the wall, there was a slight pause. /I will meet you in the field tonight…we are leaving. Hunters are looking for you./

It was Aesir's turn to pause, **You will leave everything behind? What about your father? Your home?**

/I will lose apart of myself if you die…I will follow you in to the void if you do./ Elska whispered/I will have to think for the mean time and talk to my father…perhaps things will not turn out as we fear./ She said before closing the link although she could feel Aesir hovering close to her consciousness, just enough so she could tell that he was there.

"Elska? Is everything alright?" Demo asked as he looked up the stairs where Elska stood. She blinked and smiled.

"Sorry. I was just thinking. Dinner ready?" She asked as she quickly descended the remainder of the stairs, the aroma of food filled her nose and her smile widened. The dinner was steak that they had bartered from the butcher in town, and potatoes that they had grown themselves. Elska ate slow and quietly, thinking of how to explain to her father what was happening but Demo was the first to speak.

"I want you to sleep with your knife tonight. I do not trust those men." He said before shoving a potato in to his mouth and chewing thoughtfully, "I didn't like the looks in their eyes when you left." He explained, there was a long silence before Elska responded.

"Alright." She whispered as she forked around her potatoes before biting in to one. She couldn't bring herself to face her father, yes…it was cowardly…she was cowardly. The rest of the meal was eaten in mostly silence, each were left to the tools of their own thoughts. Demo made sure that the door was securely bolted before retiring for the night, he kissed Elska's brow before going in to his room. Elska sat in front of the dying fire for an hour before finally going upstairs and lying down although she didn't change in to different clothes. She drifted in to sleep within minutes but not before telling Aesir to wake her up when the moon reached its peak in several hours time.

* * *

She was woken abruptly when a heavy blow collided with the wood of her door reducing it to splinters. Several bodies rushed forward, she screamed and thrashed as they seized her. Harsh voices accompanied harsh blows as they attempted to quiet her, her nails and teeth lashed out in retaliation. Her fingers closed around something that felt like a hilt, she grabbed and lashed out. One man fell to the ground and never rose, one blow against her temple made her see stars and drop the dagger in her hands. Yet she did not stop fighting, she managed to get away momentarily and race down the stairs where she was immediately tackled and wrestled to the floor.

She could hear her own screams mixed with her fathers as he fought the men from earlier, they wrestled him to the floor and beat him to try and keep him quiet. Elska screamed and cried as they pinned her arms flat to the floor and straight out, the leader sat on her stomach and caught her by her jaw. "So beautiful." He purred as he leaned close to kiss her, she snarled and bit. He cursed as he pulled away with blood flowing from his face and plowed a fist in to her gut. Her eyes widened and she gagged, she felt his hands roughly squeezed her flesh. "For that…I will kill you." He whispered in her ear, "And your father…"

Elska's eyes widened and her entire body stiffened, 'No…no….this isn't how it's supposed to be.' She thought as tears leaked through the corners of her eyes, she closed her eyes and rolled her head to the side. She felt the man's hands sink lower and felt him shifting his weight. "_NO!"_ She screamed mentally and physically, things weren't going to happen like this. Next thing she knew…she was fighting yet again. The leader was off to the side nursing a kick to the head.

She clawed and bit like a possessed animal, she immediately seized one of the hunter's blades. The glitter of the blade flashed through the air, blood splattered the floor as her strokes landed. She suddenly felt something collide heavily with her back which sent her toppling to the ground, a heavy body pinned her to the ground. "Fool!" The leader hissed as he raised a dagger to deliver a fatal blow to her exposed back.

Demo unleashed a cry and lunged, the two men collided with incredible force. The leader's head cracked painfully against the metal stove and he went limp. Elska quickly stood up and rushed over to where her father staggered away from the man but with his back turned to her, he staggered though the shattered doorway and outside with Elska following after him. It was there that he collapsed, "Father!" Elska cried as she rushed Demo's side, she rolled him over and sobbed as she saw the glitter of the leader's dagger in her father's chest.

"Elska…my child." Demo wheezed as he opened his eyes and looked at the girl knelt beside him. "My beautiful child." He whispered as he reached for her face, she cried silently as she placed the flat of his hand against her cheek. "Don't cry, Elska…" Tears leaked out of the man's eyes, "I don't need you to cry. You need to be strong as you have always been."

"I'm not strong, Father." She whispered and rocked gently, "I need you here…with me. You can't leave." Tears raced down her face freely and with great speed, Demo chuckled faintly but only ended up coughing up blood. Both of their ears were suddenly filled with the sound of something along the lines of pounding, Elska immediately knew what it was.

Aesir roared as he landed in the clearing where the house sat, his entire body shook as he quickly made his way over to where his rider. Demo's eyes widened slightly but he smiled as Aesir leaned his head over Elska's shoulder. "Mighty Dragon…can I entrust my daughter to you? Can you keep her safe?" Demo asked, his voice was getting fainter.

**You have my word.** Aesir said solemnly and closed his gold eyes; Demo nodded his head and looked over at his daughter.

"Elska…I won't leave you... I'll be with you…always…" Demo said softly, his arm grew heavy and his hand slid out of her grasp. She sobbed almost uncontrollably as she felt the life leave her father, she was vaguely aware of Aesir gently pulling her close to his body and wrapping his wings around her in a protective embrace.

* * *

She didn't know how long she cried but when she stopped she felt the crushing force of emptiness in her heart. She staggered to her feet and made her way back in to the house as if in a trance, she slipped through the house and went up to her room. Her eyes barely lingered on the destroyed portions of her door before going over to her bed. She pulled out her pack and took it outside along with her cloak and sword. She laid them beside Aesir's feet before going over to where Demo lay.

She pulled over to a large oak tree that he had planted the week that he and Flore adopted her. The tree's branches were wide and stretched far to make a thick canopy when the leaves were full; she had often climbed the tree for fun. They would have picnics under the tree when the summer was young and there wasn't much to do on the farm. She dug the dirt away from the tree's base, stones cut at her fingers as she did. Blood and tears mixed with the soil as she tossed it away, Aesir could only watch as Elska dug her father's grave by hand.

Several hours later she was finished, a shallow grave stood before her in the damp soil. Her hands ached and pounded in the cold air; she stood and walked over to the barn where Dakar shifted restlessly. She calmed him with a brush of her mind and went about readying him for travel; once she was finished she led him out to where Aesir lay crouched on the soil. She strapped her pack on to Dakar's saddle and went back in to the barn.

**Elska…what are you doing?**

/Making a saddle for you./ Elska responded slowly as she came out with Dakar's old training saddle and several thick bands of leather. Dakar's old training saddle was probably nothing more then two pieces of leather with rags stuffed between them, Demo had made it when they first got Dakar and was trying to break him- the training saddle was to get the horse use to something being on his back.

Elska slashed the belt on the saddle. She worked quickly in the darkness, often asking Aesir to piece holes in the leather with the sharp tip of his claws. When she was done she had a crude looking saddle but it would do. It settled on the juncture of Aesir's neck where she would often sit and was held in place by use of two loops of leather that hooked around the ride of spikes on the front and back. Three strips of leather further held the saddle in place-arching around the base of Aesir's throat and under his armpits.

"How does it feel?" She asked as she shoved the leather scraps in to the bag in case that they would be needed later.

**It feels fine. You did a good job.** Aesir said as he shifted and twisted to make sure that the saddle didn't move or restrain his movements.

"We'll be able to adjust the straps when you grow larger." Elska said as she walked back in to the house, she quickly got enough provisions to last her one week until they got to Yazuac-Aesir would have to hunt for himself. She paused as she looked down at the leader's face, his eyes stared out to nothingness…she didn't even feel any remorse for him. The sun was starting to rise.

She tossed the remainder of her things in to the bag on Dakar's back before turning back to the house. **What are you doing?** Aesir asked as he heard Elska shuffling about. There as a long pause before he heard the splash of something splattering against the wall, there was another brief pause before Elska appeared out of the house. The glow of fire followed her; flames could be seen racing along the wooden floor-the flames licked at the wood hungrily. She walked over to the barn with a burning stick, with a mighty heave she threw it in to the hay loft on top of the barn. Flames immediately erupted and consumed the barn.

* * *

"Elska! Elska!" Garo shouted as he rushed out of his house as soon as he saw the hooded figure atop Dakar. Anyone was blind not to see the coil of black smoke rising out of the woods on the edge of the Spine where Demo's property was located. The hooded figure looked up and stopped Dakar as Garo rushed over. "What happened? Where's Demo?" He demanded.

"Dead. People who claimed themselves to be hunters attacked us in the night." Elska said in a soft voice from beneath her hood. "They almost raped me….Father fought them off but was wounded…I buried him beneath the oak tree. Please…don't make me speak anymore." She whispered as her head dipped lower.

"What happened to the hunters?" Garo asked, he could feel bile rising in his throat from hearing Demo's death.

"Dead. I killed them….they will receive no burial from me." She said as she lifted her head to look at him. Garo let out a small gasp, her eyes looked so empty.

"Elska…you can stay with us. I'm sure that my wife wouldn't mind." Garo pleaded, Elska shook her head. "Please…don't do this…do-"

"Garo…I am honored that you would care for me so much. Please. Let me go…I need to go. I'll come back some day." She said as she bent over and placed a kiss on the blacksmith's broad brow. "I'm sorry." She whispered as she nudged Dakar and left Garo in the middle of the street.

* * *

It wasn't until night fell did Elska stop, Aesir landed silently and walked over to her. She had started a small fire and huddled next to it. Dakar sat a ways off, tethered to the bottom of a thick bush. The dragon settled down next to his rider and rested his massive head next to her, she outstretched and hand and gently rubbed the scales along the top of his head. She took comfort in both his mental and physical presence as she sat there. When her eyes grew too heavy to keep open, she rolled out her bed roll and took up position against Aesir's side.

In the morning she woke, she remembered the past events and wept. She lay there for a couple more minutes until she felt composed enough to face the outside world. She gently prodded Aesir's side, he stirred and lifted back the wing that he had cast over her to protect her from the bitter wind that had begun to blow after she had fallen asleep. **How do you fair?** Aesir asked as she ate a measly piece of bread and cheese for breakfast.

/ I don't know…/ Elska replied simply/I feel numb./ The conversation ended before it ever truly began, Aesir watched as she packed her things and put them back on Dakar. He was ready to wait however long he needed to before she would come around, only time could fix the wounds that now scared her heart.

**The feeling will pass.** Aesir whispered as he craned his head and hovered beside her, he was not surprised when she turned and hugged his massive head. Sobbed slowly racked her body, tears ran down Aesir's scales…all he could do was close his eyes and embrace her.

* * *

Eragon shifted uneasily in the Cadoc's saddle, Brom picked up on his nervousness and turned in his saddle to look at the boy. "What has you so jittery?" The man asked in a gruff voice.

"Saphira says that she feels something…but she's not sure." Eragon mumbled, she had been unusually quiet today. Brom merely humphed but nodded his head, he turned in his saddle and face forward.

"We'll go in to Yazuac from the side. If there is an ambush, it'll be on the main road." Brom explained as he detoured off of the main road, Yazuac could be seen far off in the distance.

It was still a good two hours before they made it to the side of Yazuac, the houses were dark and no life stirred in the village except for a single fox which darted away as soon as they came close. "I don't like this…shouldn't we have run in to somebody already?" Eragon asked, Brom drew his sword and laid it across his knees.

"Yes." He grumbled. They went slowly through town until they reached the square, the horses neighed shrilly and reared. "Good gods from above." He whispered as he calmed Snowfire.

"Who could have done this?" Eragon asked as he rubbed a hand over his mouth after he was sick over Cadoc's side. He had to turn his head, he couldn't bare to look at the pile of corpses. Brom slid to the ground from Snowfire's saddle, he examined the ground intently.

A sound of pounding hooves filled their ears, a rider raced from the other side of town. The person's black cape flapped behind him as the horse ran, the hood was raised so the person's face couldn't be seen. "Run! Urgals are in the village." The person shouted as they ran pass, Brom cursed and leapt in to Snowfire's saddle.

"You heard him." Brom said as he spurred Snowfire in to motion. Eragon kicked Cadoc and they rushed forward. The stranger's mount suddenly reared as something large appeared in front of it, the horse screamed in fear at the Urgal.

The Urgal snarled and raised its bow, there was a twang of the arrow being released. The stranger twisted to avoid the arrow but couldn't, he toppled backwards over rear end of his mount and landed hard on the ground. The Urgal ignored the horse and went straight for the immobile figure in the dust. He raised his nail studded boot to bring it down on the person's head.

The stranger suddenly leapt to life, he rolled to avoid the blow and with one swift movement buried his blade in to the creature's chest. The monster bellowed before crashing to the ground. The stranger spun around when he heard the high shrill of Snowfire.

Brom gritted his teeth as the horse reared beneath him, the Urgal that attacked him raised his ax and prepared to bring it down. The creature suddenly bellowed and swung behind it. The stranger ducked and rolled to avoid the slash, his sword glittered with blood. The Urgal roared and charged the person, with one quick slash the Urgal crashed to the ground followed by his head. The stranger suddenly grabbed his wounded shoulder as pain ripped through it.

The air was suddenly crackled with energy; the stranger's head snapped up in surprise and suddenly looked over at his mount. Without being called, the horse galloped over at full speed. It's rider held out it's uninjured arm and shoulder as the horse rushed past, flipping him on to the horses' back. "Hey! You, stop." Brom shouted as he spurred Snowfire in to a gallop after the person.

The stranger pushed his mount as fast as it could go which matched Snowfire…Brom however, wasn't wounded. Brom saw the stranger sag heavily to one side of their mount; the horse noticed its rider falling and slowed to a stop. The rider fell to the ground in a dark heap, Brom pulled on the reins of Snowfire and skidded to a stop.

"Brom." Eragon shouted as he rode up on Cadoc, he looked utterly exhausted. "Who is he?" The boy asked as the man reached for the hood of the stranger.

_Eragon! Get Brom away from there! NOW!_ Saphira roared so loud in Eragon's mind that it pounded against his skull.

"Brom! Move!" Eragon said as he grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him away. A couple seconds later they heard the sound of something traveling through the air very fast. Eragon clasped his hands to his ears as a thunderous roar echoed in the air. Dirt flew up as something collided with the ground a few feet away from the stranger, his mount reared up and screamed in fright- the horse fled several hundred yards and stopped, it looked back with its flank shaking.

Brom's mouth hung agape and he struggled to remain standing as the red dragon in front of them opened his mouth again and threatened to roar again. A threatening hiss escaped its throat as it stood over the prone form, "My god…." Brom hissed and sank down to his knees.

**Okay...that's it for this chapter. Please review, they are all welcome and appreciated...including flames. I get to roast marshmallows with those type of reviews. **


	4. Second Chances

**Hello everyone. Here is the next chapter. I've started college now so it'll be a little tough for me to write between homework and work but I will try my best. **

**I also want to say thank you to all my loyal reviewers that decided to take the time and inform me of my lack of knowlege when it came to horses and such. I didn't take the time to make sure that my information was correct and I appologize for that-I'm usually pretty good with making sure that I'm correct in my writings so I don't look like a brainless author.**

**Please remeber to review and above all else..Enjoy.

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**

**Elska…Get up.** Aesir ordered as his tail swept along the ground, churning up rocks and pushing aside dirt.

/My…my shoulder…/ Elska squeezed out as she clenched her teeth, she gripped her left shoulder. She could feel the broken end of the arrow shaft between two fingers, sticky warm coated her fingers and with dull realization she recognized it as blood. She opened her eyes and saw Aesir's maroon underbelly. /I…need help./ She whispered.

* * *

Brom clutched a hand to his chest as he watched the dragon sidestep and bend down close to his rider although his gold eyes never left him or Eragon. A single clawed hand reached forward and slid under his rider's torso with utter most care, it was then that Brom was able to find words once he saw the broken arrow shaft sticking out of the rider's shoulder once he stood. "You're wounded." He whispered.

The rider looked up at Brom although his face remained hidden by the hood which had somehow remained upright during his flight; the red dragon's eyes flickered over to his rider momentarily before looking back at Brom. There was a pause before the rider answered, "Yes." In an obviously feminine voice.

"What?!" Eragon gapped, even Brom looked taken back.

_Close your mouth, little one, before something flies in to it._ Saphira said to Eragon, dirt flew up from her claws as she dug in to the ground as she landed. The red dragon lifted his head and looked at her, blue clashed with gold as the two dragons looked at each other.

* * *

Elska hung her head slightly as she pondered if they were doing the right thing, if these people could be trusted but all doubt vanished when she saw the blue dragon come in to her vision. /Aesir….they're just like us./ She whispered through her link.

**In more ways then one.** Aesir replied softly after a momentary pause, he craned his head and looked at his rider. **They can be trusted.** He said as he looked at her with one golden eye. There was the crunch of gravel shifting under heavy weight, Elska looked up and saw the blue dragon coming closer to her. The blue dragon was more streamlined then Aesir so she guessed that the dragon was a female…she was beautiful.

_Greetings, little one._ The blue dragon said once Elska's and her minds touched, _You are in good company. The old one is called Brom and he is…one that should be listened to. The young one, my rider, is Eragon. Do not be scared away by his brash remark, he has yet to have all of the foolishness tempered out of him._ She chuckled slightly. _And I am Saphira._

"It is an honor to meet you." Elska said bowing her head slightly, the action alone made her feel weak and nauseated. Her shoulder pounded with a dull ache, Aesir felt her anxiety though their link.

**Call your horse and let the old one tend to you. **Aesir instructed softly, Saphira turned her head to her own rider. Elska didn't pay attention to the two as she called Dakar, her horse came trotting up. His flanks were covered in a nervous sweat and they trembled slightly at the sight of the new dragon, she sent calming emotions through her link and the horse quickly quieted.

Elska lowered herself to the ground and crossed her legs, she took a moment to remove her hood and let her face finally be revealed. Aesir kneaded the ground beneath his mass and settled down next to her. She sat there quietly until Brom walked over, "It looks like the arrow when in deep…we won't be sure until we pull it out." He said as he settled down next to her and under the watchful eye of Aesir.

"Perfect." Elska said dryly, the man chuckled slightly.

"I agree." He said as he eyed her shoulder and the position of the arrow. "There's no easy way to remove an arrow, I'm afraid." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with a calloused hand.

"No…I suppose not."

* * *

Elska choked back a scream as the arrow was ripped free of her flesh, her body strained against Eragon's and Brom's hands from her place on the ground. She opened one eye to look at Brom as he tossed away the bloodied arrowhead. "S-so?" She asked between clenched teeth, her head twisted to the side slightly as she struggled to find an outlet for the pain. Her boots shoved dirt to the side as her heels dug trenches in to the hard ground.

"You'll live although it would be a good idea if you didn't use that arm for a week or so." Brom said as he placed a rag over the wound, she hissed between her teeth as the fabric pressed against her sensitive flesh. Eragon moved away to give Elska her space since the really painful part had passed, now all that needed to be done was to bandage her shoulder.

Elska slipped her left arm back in to her sleeve, her cloak lay abandoned over to the side. She threaded the string at the top part of her shirt back in place so it fit properly; she was glad that she had decided to wear that shirt today. The removal of the string had allowed Brom access to the wound without her having to take off her shirt.

She closed her eyes and leaned up against Aesir's side, she could feel every breath push against her back as she just sat there. She half listened to what Brom and Eragon were talking about over next to the camp fire, it had gotten late and they had all decided to stay where they were for the night. Elska was thinking about what she was going to do once it became morning, either stay and travel with them or leave and go off on her own…she had yet to decide.

Elska felt a ripple go across her skin, her eyes snapped open and she looked over to where Eragon and Brom were sitting and talking, the older man looked extremely agitated as he chewed on the mouth piece of the pipe that he held in his hand. "What did you just say?" She asked, both men looked up and over at here. "You said something…what did you say?" She asked as she stood up and walked over to them.

Eragon shifted uncomfortably as if he didn't know how to respond to her demands, "I….think I used magic back in the village. I was just asking Brom about it." He said after a moment, Elska turned to look at the older man. He just sat there chewing on his pipe deep in thought.

"Well?" She demanded, she had felt the energy back in the village and she was anxious to figure out what had caused it…if Eragon had caused it.

"Yes…he used magic." Brom grumbled, "Could have killed himself and destroyed the entire village." He said before he clamped his teeth angrily around the stem of the pipe. "_Brisingr_…." A shiver ran over her again, "Is a word from the ancient language…" It was then that Brom decided to roughly explain magic and its limitations as well as the consequences if you over stepped your boundaries.

After Brom finished Elska retreated to Aesir's side to contemplate what she had learned. /Magic…/ She said as she leaned against Aesir's side. / I wonder if I'll ever be able to use it./

**Ask Brom to teach you. He's more then he appears.** Aesir replied as he brought his head close to Elska where she sat and sent a puff of air in her direction, it ruffled her hair and clothes lightly.

/He'll never teach it to me. I'm a woman…remember?/ Elska responded dryly. /Women are looked down in my world. We're only good for cooking and cleaning…nothing more…especially fighting and magic. You remember how I had to hide to practice my sword techniques./ She said as she shifted her weight and took some pressure off of her shoulder.

**Just talk to him in the morning. **Aesir said as he rested his head on the ground next to her, **It wouldn't hurt.**

/No…You're right, as usual./ She said as a small smile tugged at her lips.

**Of course.

* * *

**

The world was dark when Elska woke and the camp was mostly quiet except for Brom's snores. She stood up and shook the dirt off of her clothes before donned her cloak around her shoulders although it was stained with blood from her wound. She went over to the edge of camp and sat down on a log; she cradled her face in her hands and stared at the ground.

The moon found its way past the thick layer of clouds in the sky and it shone down its light on the world, just enough to cast faint shadows on the ground. After a couple of minutes she suddenly felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, she jumped and leapt away while reaching down for a dagger in her boot. She immediately stopped when she saw Brom standing in the faintly light, "Oh…I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" She whispered and slid the half exposed knife back in to her boot.

"No…I'm a light sleeper even though it doesn't seem so." Brom chuckled faintly and sat down on the log next to where she had been sitting, "Now…what's bothering you? You don't seem like the person to lose sleep over nothing." He said as he patted the log next to him. Elska paused and stared from the log to him then back again.

"I….I can't. The wound is still too fresh." She whispered as she shook her head, "But I do want to talk to you about something else." She said as she sat down on the log, she sat there in silence as she struggled to find the right wording. "I want you to teach me magic…" She said finally.

Brom remained silent for several long minutes and Elska was half afraid that he had fallen sleep on her or something. "Why do you want to learn magic?" He asked as he threaded his fingers in front of his face and rested his chin on top of it.

"I want to be stronger. My….." Elska stopped herself from saying to much. "Something….something very bad happened because I wasn't strong enough." She stood up, "I don't want to be in that position again…I want to be stronger than I am now. No matter what I have to do to obtain it." She said as she turned toward the older man, something in his eyes flashed and she knew that she had said the wrong thing somewhere in that short monolog.

"No." Brom said as he stood up and walked over to the dying embers of the fire. "I won't teach you." He said as he jabbed at the coals making embers fly up. "Someone like you, I will not teach."

"What?" Elska demanded and walked over, bitterness hung over every word. "Just because I'm a woman that you think you can deny me what you're going to teach Eragon?" She snarled, all the pain and hurt that she had experienced over the past few days came to a boiling point. Eragon and the two dragons were woken up by her voice cutting through the quiet air.

"No." Brom said as he looked up at her sharply, "I'm not teaching you because you do not know the restraint that you need to have to work with magic. You'll probably end up killing yourself and everyone around you." He said as he grabbed a piece of wood and threw it on to the bed of embers.

Elska felt her fists shake as her palms bit in to the flesh of her palms, "You…know nothing." She hissed, she felt her eyes sting…she thought that she couldn't cry any more tears, that she had run out.

"I know plenty of your kind. You'll do anything for power even cut down your own best friend." Brom snapped as he stood up sharply.

"You don't know me!" Elska screamed, "I killed my father because I wasn't strong enough!" Brom stopped in his tracks. "I was almost raped and he was killed trying to protect me." Her entire body was shaking, tears flowed down her cheeks. "I killed him." She sobbed and took several steps back, hugging her shoulders.

Eragon licked his lips almost hesitant to speak, "How long ago?" He finally asked.

"Three days." She whispered as Aesir came up behind her, she saw Brom's blank face before Aesir wrapped his wings around her in protective screen.

**Oh little one. **Aesir whispered as Elska sat down in the dirt and hugged her knees, all the while crying. **You're dragging yourself down with grief. You can't keep this up.** He said as she wiped away tears with her hand and ignored the pain in her shoulder.

/It's not as easy as you make it seem./ Elska replied bitterly. /You've never lost someone that raised you from when you were little…that you loved with all your heart./

**No but I'm losing you. You are my other half, I cannot bear to lose you.** He replied, his head dipped down to rest his snout against her back. Tremors shook her body as fresh tears came to her eyes, she turned and hugged his massive head.

/I'm sorry I'm not strong enough./ She cried. /I'm so sorry./

**You're strong…you just have to believe in yourself.** He whispered as Elska just cried. She soon cried herself to sleep and lay on the ground in a miserable heap. Aesir removed the protective screen that he had made with his wings; he looked up and saw Brom sitting beside the fire with Eragon sitting close to Saphira with his head against her shoulder.

"So…is it true?" Brom asked as he stirred the embers with his stick, Eragon looked up at Saphira before looking over to where Elska lay. He nodded faintly and grabbed her blanket that she had abandoned over next to her bedroll; he gently draped it over her sleeping form.

**I'm afraid so.** Aesir said, speaking directly to Brom. **Her father died in her arms. She hasn't fully recovered…** He said as he settled down next to his rider. **She blames herself for what happened.** The gravel shifted beneath Aesir's might head as he laid it down next to Elska's form

Brom was silent as he stared at the flames flickering over the burning log, "I feel sorry for her." Eragon mumbled as he sat back down next Saphira, Aesir cast a glance at the boy.

Aesir turned to Eragon, **She's just lost right now. She doesn't know how to handle herself.**

"We all need to get some rest. I will speak with her in the morning when we have all woken up." Brom said as he finally stood up from his place by the fire and went over to his bedroll, he looked over at Elska's form before laying his head down with his back against the flames.

* * *

"Brom! Brom!" Eragon shouted in the man's ear as he shook the man's shoulder.

"What?!" The older man demanded groggily when he was roughly pulled from his sleep.

"It's Elska. Something's wrong with her." Eragon said. Brom immediately threw back his blanket and leapt to his feet, Aesir and Saphira hovered over Elska's form. She lay on her back looking very pale and in a cold sweat, "She won't wake up." Eragon explained as he and Brom crouched beside her.

**She won't respond to my summons. She has blocked me off completely.** Aesir rumbled, his eyes lingered on her face. His wings sagged heavily along his back and his head drooped low to the ground almost mournfully. Brom leaned over her and pulled the blanket and cloak back, her wound had bleed through the bandage and stained the shirt with new blood on top of the blood that had already dried.

Brom undid the string of her shirt and pulled back the fabric to look at her shoulder, he pealed back the bandage and his shoulders drooped. "The arrow was poisoned." He whispered and placed the bandage back on the wound, he sat on the ground beside the young woman and sat there in silence with his head bowed and fists against the side of his skull.

"So what…you're just going to sit there in silence and let her die…?" Eragon mumbled angrily under his breath as he clenched a fist in the dirt, the man didn't respond. "Aren't you going to answer?"

_Quiet little one. Can't you see that he is thinking?_ Saphira said as she rested her snout against his back.

/Elska is dying…I feel so totally helpless./ Eragon responded. Everyone suddenly looked up when Aesir stood, his eyes locked hard on his rider's face. "Aesir?" Eragon whispered as the red dragon lowered his head to Elska's chest where her necklace glittered on her collarbone, a deep rumble came from his chest and hummed in the air. Brom looked up at the dragon; his eyes glittered intently as he watched.

Aesir brushed the tip of his snout along the pendent; the silver seemingly caught the color of Aesir's scales and held it for a moment even after he pulled away. Even as the red faded from the silver, Elska's face calmed and seemed as though she regained a bit of color. Brom leaned over and pealed back the bandage on her shoulder, the skin could be seen growing back together. It finally closed up and didn't even leave a scar, the only trace that it had been there was dried blood on her skin. Aesir laid his entire length out on the ground; he let out a deep breath stirring her hair faintly.

Brom nodded silently. "Everything is alright now. Try and get to sleep if you can. There are still a couple of hours before sunrise." Brom said as he looked over at Eragon, the boy nodded and went over to his bedroll. The man looked back at the young woman that he sat beside, he took a moment to put her shirt back in order and pulled the blanket up to her chin. He paused before leaving her side to brush a piece of damp hair out of her face, he looked at her a moment longer before retiring to his roll.

* * *

The first thing that Elska realized when she woke in the morning that she was staring up at a red sky….no….the membrane of Aesir's wing. She rolled over on to her side and groaned faintly, every muscle in her being screamed for her to stop. It felt like she had run a marathon several times over. /Aesir…why does my body hurt so much?/ She asked as she paused and regained her breath.

**The arrow was poisoned, little one. We realized it too late to stop it.** Came Aesir's answer as he pulled back his wing to show the early morning light and his massive head, he touched her gently against her side with his snout.

"Then how am I alive?" Elska whispered as she lifted her left hand and brushed against his scaled cheek, deep rumble came from his chest.

**That can wait for now. Brom needs to talk to you. ** Elska sat up despite her body's protests; she stroked her dragon's neck. With stark realization she remembered the wound on her shoulder, her right hand its way beneath her shirt and to where the wound was supposed to be. All that she felt was smooth skin, Aesir chuckled. **Go speak with Brom. He has already been up for an hour and sent Eragon to replenish our water supply. **

/I will go speak with him but…are you sure that he will listen? I wasn't exactly a great conversation companion last night./ Elska said to Aesir as she staggered to her feet, her body felt like it was made of stone-it was hard and difficult to move.

**He will.** Aesir replied as Elska used one of the spines along his neck to steady herself. Elska lifted her head to look at the world around her, the sun was only a couple of hours in the sky. Sitting on the log from last night sat Brom with his back to her, colorful rings of smoke drifted through the air in front of him and finally dissipated a couple of feet away.

It took a moment or two to make it to the log but she finally made it, she clenched her teeth as she sat down-her muscles screamed as they stretched and pulled. Brom didn't speak instead he took another drag from his pipe and loosed a violet ring in to the air, Elska sat an elbow on her knee and cradled her chin in her palm. She watched as it slowly faded in color and dispersed in the wind that had begun to blow. She sighed and closed her eyes, "Brom." She said faintly, the man rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward staring straight ahead. "I apologize for what happened last night. I never meant it to come out the way that it did."

The world once again lapsed in to silence, only broken by the occasional chirping of a bird in the brush close to the camp. Brom whispered something under his breath and the sparrow flew to his hand, "I have thought long and hard over what has transpired." Brom whispered and extending his hand toward Elska, the bird bobbed its head faintly and chirped. It turned its head to look at Elska with its coal black eyes, examining her. Elska slowly extended her hand until it rested against Brom's; the older man slid his hand up underneath hers and deposited the bird on to her hand. "I'm afraid that we both spoke with bitterness and misunderstanding in our hearts."

"I agree. I should have never pushed you to accept me as your student." She said as she ran a finger down the bird's back, she delighted in the feel of the feathers against the pad of her finger. The bird chirped and nipped at her finger slightly, she scratched it under its chin; the bird tilted its head back and half closed its eyes contently. "My feelings would ha-"

"Let me see your necklace." Brom ordered, Elska stopped mid-sentence with a very confused look on her face. The bird looked at her before it spread its wings and flew off in to the brush. Silently she reached back and undid the clasp of the silver chain; she let it dangle from her fingers before handing it over to Brom. He stroked the silver pendent with the pad of his thumb as he examined it, "Where did you get it?" He asked as he turned it over and looked at the backside.

"I found it with Aesir's egg." She mumbled under her breath, she ended tell of the story where she was led off of the trail and in to the field. She even told of seeing the woman which disappeared, "And she did this…" Elska said as she put two fingers to her lips and made the same motion that the woman had. Brom's eyes snapped up to look at her, the expression on his face was unreadable.

"Keep the necklace-don't lose it." Brom instructed as he handed the necklace back to Elska, she clasped it around her neck and hid it beneath her shirt.

"I won't."

* * *

Brom's lips were set in a thin line as he examined the saddle on Aesir's back, "Now you said that you made this yourself, correct?" He asked as he bent down and examined one of the knots that fastened the saddle to its holds.

"I did it after I finished burying my father." Elska said as she looked up from her breakfast, Eragon sat beside her. They both ate a cold breakfast of bread and a bit of hard cheese, "It was dark but I managed." She said as she tore off a chunk of bread and put it in her mouth.

"You did well." Brom commented as he made a small adjustment to the strap.

"I had to." Elska said as she finished her meal and let Eragon have the rest if he wished, "I was the only person on the farm besides Father. He never remarried after his wife died so he never had any sons or daughters besides me." Brom raised an eyebrow and Eragon looked over at her slightly.

"Don't you mean your mom?" Eragon asked, Elska shook her head no.

"Father found me when I was just a babe in the brush and his wife died in the next winter so I never knew her. My real parents were killed by Urgals." She said as she stood and went over to Dakar who was tethered by Snowfire and Cadoc, she went over and took out her sword from her pack. "He found their bodies with a wagon. There wasn't much to salvage but he found this." She said as she pulled it out, Brom held out a hand and she handed it to him hilt first.

Brom's face was unreadable as he ran his hand along the hilt and looked at the blade- it was very light and thin. There were faint engravings along the blades sides in long flowing lines, it looked like writing but Elska couldn't be sure because they were so unlike the runes that they used to write with. He gripped the hilt and twirled the blade at his side, and listened to it slicing through the air. "Do you know how to use it?" He asked as he handed it back.

"I taught myself in secret but beyond that I have had no formal tutoring." Elska said as she slid the sword in to its sheath.

"Brom could teach you as we're traveling." Eragon said as he stood up, Elska stopped and looked back at him. "You are coming with us…right?" Eragon asked when he saw the blank look on her face.

"I'm….not sure." Elska whispered as she put her sword up.

**It would be wise. We could learn what Brom had to teach us. He knows much about the Dragon Riders.** Aesir said as he lifted his head and looked at Elska who was stroking Dakar's neck; the horse nickered and nuzzled her shoulder affectionately.

There was a little bit of a pause, "I will travel with you if you will have me." She said finally as she turned and looked at Brom-the old man chuckled faintly.

"Do you think that you can handle it?" He asked as he arched an eyebrow slightly, "Because I won't travel with someone who can't pull their own weight." He asked, poking at her slightly.

"I think I'll manage." She said smiling; Aesir leaned his head close to her and blew a puff of hot air in to her face. She turned and stroked his snout affectionately. /We have found where we belong./ She whispered across their link.

**We have found our own.** Aesir rumbled as the tip of his tail twitched slightly.

* * *

"Stenr reisa." Elska said with all of her strength, the stone remained motionless on her left palm-her gedwëy ignasia shone in the sunlight but it did not glow. Her lips twisted in a snarl of frustration, her fingers closed over the pebble until her knuckles grew white. /Damn it, Aesir./ She snarled over the link, she did her best not to allow her aggression and frustration filter over the link to effect her dragon.

**Relax, little one. You will do yourself no good if you are too worked up to do anything.** Aesir coaxed from his spot on the edge of camp, Brom sat in front of her with his pipe between his teeth. Eragon was currently away hunting using magic that he had learned…it had been a grand total of two days since the incident at Yazuac and she had not managed to get past the first task. She released the eye sore called a stone and watched it fall to the ground where it bounced once and landed on the ground.

"It would be a good idea for you to take a break. You've been at it for two hours straight." Brom said as he put a new wad of tobacco in to his pipe and lit it. Elska scowled as she stood up and went over to Aesir, she sat back down on the ground and folded her legs up under her body. She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against Aesir's shoulder, she could hear Aesir laughing. His lips were pealed back to reveal sharp teeth and he made a choking sound which was a dragon's laugh.

"Shut up." She snapped and pulled her elbow down past her side, her elbow collided with Aesir's scaly shoulder. "You're not helping." She muttered as she shifted her weight side to side to get a little more comfortable.

**Sorry, little one.** Aesir said as his laughter passed, **I meant no offense to you.** He lowered his head until it rested against the dirt by her side.** Maybe if you meditate for a while it will help clear your mind and help you concentrate more.** Aesir said as he sighed slightly and stirred up a small amount of dust from the ground.

Elska stiffened slightly when she felt a different consciousness brush against hers, she almost went to block it only smile faintly when Saphira's voice filtered through. _He does have a point, little rider. There was something that Eragon had to find within himself before he could use magic._ She said as she kneaded the ground beneath her to get more comfortable.

/Pardon me if I sound a little angry but I'm tired of being compared to Eragon./ Elska said as she cast a blue eye over to the sapphire dragon/I'm not him. What if I just can't do magic?/ She asked, self-doubt somehow found its way in to her connection.

**That is not reality. **Aesir rumbled, **Just try it.**

Elska frowned/Alright…if you two insist./ She mumbled before she relaxed her body and unfolded her arms until her hands rested in her lap. She took a calming breath and let it out slowly, she slowly fell inwards until the world seemed to fall away from her until she was left only with herself.

**Okay...that's it for this chapter. Please press that pretty purple button at the bottom left of your screen. It would make me /very/ happy. Remember...reviews make the world go round. All forms accepted.**


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